Peru: A Premier World Archaeologic Discovery Center in 2008

If you are into archaeology, ancient art, or history, this is a post you’ll be very interested in reading. An article in Peru’s largest newspaper today highlights relevant discoveries throughout 2008. Here is a list grouped by department that perhaps you might want to consider for your next trip to Peru. And once again, the map of Peru referenced in my earlier post will help in locating them and aligning them to your travel plans.

AMAZONAS (province of Utcubamba)

A pre-Incan city was discovered by an expedition of local authorities. Click here to read my earlier post for details.

Several ancient graphics, homes with ovens, ceramics, paintings, caves, thermal waters, petrified seashells, as well as a wide variety of orchids were also found.

A pre-Incan cemetery was found including remains of about 200 bodies accompanied by ceramics in a cave 70 meters long and 15 meters wide.

Another expedition reported finding a 670 meters-high waterfall named Lejía. The area will become part of a tourist site.

LAMBAYEQUE

A mummy (fardo funerario in Spanish) was discovered in the Historic Sanctuary called “Bosque de Pómac”. The remains belong to a royal personality of the Lambayeque culture who is holding a golden stick back from 750-800 AC.

In this Sanctuary was also found the remains of a royalty member of the Sicán culture with a chest armour, golden vases and other ornaments as old as 1,000 AC.

Two religious temples were found in the archaeological site of Collud-Zarpán belonging to the starting ages of the consolidation of the high civilization of the North region of Peru. Also, a mural with a spider-shaped God was also found.

An ancient city of the Wari culture was discovered in the archaeologic complex of Cerro Pátapo, representing “the missing link between the ancient cultures of the Wari people and the earlier Moche civilisation […] because it explains how the Wari people allowed for the continuation of culture after the Moche” as archaeologists explain. Click here to read my earlier post about this discovery.

A total of 11 human skeletons belonging to sacrified women were found in the archaeologic complex of Huaca Chotuna. One of them included the low jaw bone of a fetus.

CUZCO

A total of 277 bronze artifacts were discovered in the archaeologic site of Sacsayhuamán

Two pre-Hispanic cities near the cerro Huanacaure were found which are considered to be major religious sites back from the Incas empire. Both ancient cities remained hidden for more than 400 years since the Spanish conquered the Incas, and was only heard about them through Spanish chronicles that date back from the 16th and 17th centuries.

An Incan religious ceramic shop was also discovered in one of the Inca temples in Sacsayhuamán, as well as an Incan temple which remained hidden for centuries underneath soil and an eucalyptus forest.

An archaeologic fortress named Manco Pata was discovered in the district of Kimbiri.

ANCASH

John Rick, an American archaeologist, discovered an underground tunnel where religious offerings occured in the archaeologic site of Chavín.

PUNO

A gold necklace of around 4,000 years old was found next to the Lake Titicaca — perhaps the oldest gold necklace in the Americas.

PIURA

A religious center or cemetery for the hierarchy of the Vicus culture was discovered in the province of Morropón.